Lighting system control

Abstract

A controller for controlling a lighting system, the controller comprising: an interface arranged to communicate with one or more luminaires at a location to be illuminated; a memory arranged to store information, the information comprising a first illumination status of the location, and information of a first command causing the location to adopt the first illumination status; the interface further arranged to receive a second command comprising an instruction for the at least one luminaire to illuminate the location in accordance with a second illumination status which differs from the first illumination status; and a processor configured to determine whether to execute the second command based upon a comparison between a value associated with the first command and a value associated with the second command, the processor configured to calculate the value associated with the first command based upon a priority level value of the first command and a relevance factor associated with the first command, at a time of receiving the second command; and the processor configured to calculate the value associated with the second command based upon a priority level value of the second command.

Description

[0001]The present invention relates to control of lighting systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to the control of lighting systems having multiple inputs.BACKGROUND[0002]US2016 / 037613A1 discloses consensus based user control for a lighting system, wherein an average light level is determined based on individual user preferences.[0003]Lighting systems are used for illuminating areas such as rooms, for example in a home, office, factory, or indeed in any other building. Lighting systems may also be used to illuminate outdoor areas. Illumination is provided by a light source, typically one or more light bulbs or LEDs, which may be collectively referred to as luminaires. The luminaires can be controlled by a user, for example by a user turning a light switch off and on. Illumination by the luminaires can also be automatically controlled, for example by operating according to a set routine. Conflicts may arise when a command from one source conflicts with a command f...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a lighting system and controller that can selectively determine whether to execute a received command to alter the illumination settings. The controller uses a priority level value to determine which command to execute, based on the importance of the command and the relevance factor of the current situation. The controller can also determine which aspects of a command to execute, and can override previous commands based on their priority level value. The determination is made based on the comparison of the value associated with the command with a value associated with the current situation. The priority level values can be based on resource types or user types. The technical effect of this invention is to provide a more efficient and effective lighting system that can selectively execute commands based on their importance and the current situation.

Problems solved by technology

Conflicts may arise when a command from one source conflicts with a command from another source, for example a command from a user may conflict with the routine.

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